Podcasts about fearless solutions

Dr. Letitia Dzirasa is the Health Commissioner of Baltimore City. As a Hopkins-trained pediatrician, she focuses on obesity management and prevention; trauma informed care in children and adolescents; and expansion of technology to improve health outcomes. Prior to joining the Health Department, Dr. Dzirasa worked as the Health Innovation Office at Fearless Solutions; and Medical Director of Health and School Based Healthcare at Baltimore Medical System from 2013-2016.  Dr. Dzirasa currently serves as Co-Chair of the Local Health Improvement Council and Co-Chair of B’More for Healthy Babies Steering Committee.

Dr. Letitia Dzirasa joined the Baltimore City government as the Commissioner of Health in March 2019. As a Hopkins-trained pediatrician, she focuses on obesity management and prevention, trauma-informed care in children and adolescents, and the expansion of technology to improve health outcomes. Prior to joining the Health Department, Dr. Dzirasa worked as the Health Innovation Office at Fearless Solutions; and Medical Director of Health and School Based Healthcare at Baltimore Medical System from 2013-2016.  Dr. Dzirasa currently serves as Co-Chair of the Local Health Improvement Council and Co-Chair of B’More for Healthy Babies Steering Committee.  

On today's Midday Healthwatch, Tom's guest is Baltimore City’s new Health Commissioner, Dr. Letitia Dzirasa. She was named to the position by then-Mayor Catherine Pugh. She began serving in March and was officially sworn in on April 16. She succeeds Dr. Leana Wen, who resigned last fall to become the president of Planned Parenthood. Dr. Dzirasa (pron. jih-RAH-zuh) is the first African American woman to be appointed as Baltimore’s Top Doc. Baltimore has the nation’s oldest continuously operating health department, a high-profile city agency with an annual budget of 150 million dollars and more than 800 employees. Dr. Dzirasa is a pediatrician who trained at the John Hopkins Medical School. She has worked in the private sector as the Health Innovation officer at Fearless Solutions, the Baltimore-based digital services company she co-founded with her husband Dilali. From 2013-2016, she was the director of school-based health services at Baltimore Medical System, a non-profit community health services organization.Dr. Dzirasa is 37 years old. She lives in Baltimore with her husband, their 2 year-old son and her 17 year-old stepson.This conversation was live-streamed on WYPR’s Facebook page; you can see the video here.

Delali is Founder and President of Fearless Solutions, a software firm based out of Baltimore. Delali is a Certified Scrum Master and PMP® with a decade of experience leading agile software teams and programs. Delali graduated with a B.S. in Computer Engineering from UMBC in 2004. Delali always had a passion for entrepreneurship and after working at a handful of technology firms, he founded Fearless in 2009. Delali strives to make a difference in technology and his surrounding community. He currently resides with his family in Baltimore City, where he is passionate about increasing the rate of city youth heading into STEM fields. TWEET: Ep. 70: @DelaliDzirasa - Using his #Passion to #MakeADifference in #Technology and the #Community Small Incremental Goals Delali Dzirasa aspired to be a business owner since his days in college. How did he get from a college student to a successful entrepreneur? What carried him across the finish line? Delali says determination and drive helped him achieve his goal. He tells the story of running his first marathon with a friend from college. The one thing that kept him going mile after mile was the simple focus on small incremental goals. One mile at a time. They built on top of each other. Before he knew it, he had finished all 26 miles. Similarly, Delali says entrepreneurship is like running a marathon. You have to set small attainable goals one after another. With each goal accomplished, you accumulate success. Hear more about Delali's story on this inspiring episode of Chasing Dreams! What is STEM and why is it important? Delali Dzirasa is a successful leader in the software development field. As he his influence in the industry has grown, Delali wants to give back. One of the ways Delali and his company, Fearless Solutions accomplishes this is by resourcing STEM programs. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. STEM jobs are the jobs of the future. However, these jobs are increasingly difficult for minorities and women to obtain. If the United States is going to be competitive on the global stage, it needs to invest in resourcing and developing these job avenues. Learn more from Delali about STEM and the work he’s doing on this episode of Chasing Dreams! TWEET: What is #STEM and why is it #important? @DelaliDzirasa What is with the “Purple Cow?” If you go to Fearless Solutions’ website, you will notice one thing right away. A purple cow. The purple cow is not just a gimmick. Fearless Solutions’ founder and leader, Delali Dzirasa was inspired by the book “Purple Cow” by Seth Godin. He realized that in order to be noticed, you have to do something outside of the box. In a world of run-of-the-mill “Brown cow” software companies, Delali wanted Fearless to stand out. He wanted the company to be known for their values like committing to excellence, integrity, improvement, innovation, and passion in every aspect of their business. Delali discuss the purple cow and more on this episode of Chasing Dreams! Building a healthy work culture One of the most overlooked aspects of a successful business is its culture. Almost everyone has worked in a negative or unhealthy work culture. But, how do you build a healthy one? Delali Dzirasa and his team at Fearless Solutions have created an exciting and vibrant work culture. They have dedicated themselves to trust and empowerment. They don’t micromanage people, they trust men and women to get their jobs done like adults. Instead of holding everyone to arbitrary rules, they empower people to work in a way that makes them the most comfortable and productive. By letting people work outside of the box, they have found that their employees are more likely to THINK outside of the box. Hear more about building a healthy work culture from Delali on this episode of Chasing Dreams! TWEET: #Building a #healthy #WorkCulture @DelaliDzirasa OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE: [0:53] Aimee’s introduction to this episode with Delali Dzirasa. [3:30] What’s the biggest lesson Delali has learned over the years? [5:53] Challenges Delali faced getting started in his career. [9:34] The road to becoming an entrepreneur. [11:55] Helping others succeed. [13:04] Giving back to the community. [13:55] What is STEM? Why is it important? [16:04] Is Delali's company expanding? Where? [18:27] What is up with the Purple Cow mascot? [21:11] Networking, it's all about who you know. [24:21] Building a healthy culture. [31:00] Delali's advice to those who want to chase their dreams. GUEST RECOMMENDATION: Be fearless. Dream aggressively. You have one life to live so give it everything you’ve got! RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Delali on Twitter Delali on Facebook Delali on Linkedin Delali's company website: http://fearless.tech/ Digital Harbor Foundation website: http://www.digitalharbor.org/ Seth Godin’s Book: Purple Cow, New Edition: Transform Your Business by Being ... TWEETS YOU CAN USE: TWEET: #Small #Incremental #Goals @DelaliDzirasa TWEET: What is with the #PurpleCow @DelaliDzirasa

Delali Dzirasa is Founder and President of Fearless Solutions, a software firm based out of Baltimore, MD. Delali is a Certified Scrum Master and PMP® with a decade of experience leading agile software teams and programs. . Delali Dzirasa graduated with a B.S. in Computer Engineering from the University Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) in 2004. Delali always had a passion for entrepreneurship and after working at a handful of technology firms, he founded Fearless in 2009.  Fearless is a company driven by delivering innovative products and services to our customers that make a difference.   Delali strives to make a difference in technology as well as his surrounding community. He serves as a Board Member on the UMBC Computer Science and Electrical Engineering Visiting Committee and an active volunteer and member of the Central Maryland Chapter of AFCEA.    He currently resides with his wife and son in Baltimore City, where he is passionate about increasing the rate of city youth heading into STEM based fields.    When Delali isn’t busy running Fearless (rarely), he enjoys working out and hanging out with friends and family. He can be reached at delalid@fearsol.com.